Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Mark A. Navarre
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Patent number: 5621240Abstract: A novel thick film resistor configuration and a method for fabricating thick film resistors, by which such resistors can be processed to achieve targeted electrical properties in an as-fired condition. The configuration and method of this invention involve creating a thick film resistor in the form of a series of short resistors whose combined resistance values approximately equal the predetermined resistance value required of the thick film resistor by its hybrid electronic circuit, yet with the use of minimal post-firing trimming. Such a configuration and method enable the production of thick film resistors from the same ink composition but with significantly different aspect ratios, yet which exhibit minimal differences between TCR values. Consequently, thick film resistors configured and fabricated in accordance with this invention are characterized by enhanced production throughput, repeatability, and reliability.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 1995Date of Patent: April 15, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventor: Marion E. Ellis
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Patent number: 5616864Abstract: A yaw rate sensor having a vibrating ring microstructure surrounded by electrodes capacitively coupled to the ring has vibration responsive circuits with inputs connected to several of the sensors, the circuits having outputs connected to others of the electrodes for driving or influencing the vibration. The circuits produce a main drive voltage to excite the ring to resonance, a feedback drive voltage to provide force-to-rebalance correction, and a dc compensation voltage to tune the ring to a single resonance frequency. An economy of electrode space is achieved by using some electrodes for more than one function, e.g. feedback and compensation.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 1995Date of Patent: April 1, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Jack D. Johnson, Fie A. Liem
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Patent number: 5612671Abstract: A low tire pressure warning system has a pressure sender and a radio transmitter in each tire, and a vehicle mounted receiver includes a microprocessor controller programmed to automatically learn the IDs of the tire senders. An ID message and pressure report is transmitted from each sender and recorded in memory as main senders presumed to be those on the vehicle wheels. Subsequent new IDs are accepted as reserve senders. By monitoring sender activity the main senders are determined to be healthy or damaged and are replaced when not functioning by new sender IDs which are functioning.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 1995Date of Patent: March 18, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Victor Mendez, Todd D. Eberwine
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Patent number: 5610502Abstract: A boost supply has an inductor coupled to supply voltage and connected to ground through a charging switch and connected through a diode to charge a storage capacitor when the switch is open to attain a boost voltage higher than supply voltage. A clock for controlling the switch operation is an astable circuit having an operational amplifier with an RC timing feedback to one input and a hysteresis feedback to the other input. The hysteresis circuit includes a resistor coupled at one end to a reference voltage and through a diode to the amplifier output. This circuit has an increasing frequency with increasing supply voltage to reduce switch closed time and limit the increase of inductor current to safe levels.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 1995Date of Patent: March 11, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: James C. Tallant, II, Kevin J. Hawes
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Patent number: 5611073Abstract: In a multiprocessing machine having several processors which take turns in executing an instruction, processing of two related parameters in one processor takes place at different times so that the parameters are non-coherent for a short time. Program counter addresses have a bit reserved as a flag which is set during non-coherence. When a CPU requests parameter values from the machine, coherency of the parameters is guaranteed by reading the flag as well as the parameters and a CPU software routine determines the coherent values.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 1995Date of Patent: March 11, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Sandesh Malpure, Raymond B. Reed
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Patent number: 5606237Abstract: An inductive charging coupler for use in an inductive charging apparatus used to charge a battery. The charging coupler is insertable into a charge port that is coupled to the battery. The charge port comprises a housing, an opening into which the charging coupler is inserted, and a ferrite core surrounded by secondary windings. The charging coupler comprises a housing having a hollow disk-shaped section with substantially flat opposed surfaces and a tapered handle extending therefrom. An opening is disposed through each of the flat opposed surfaces. A center magnetic core is disposed in the opening and has opposed flat surfaces that are substantially coplanar with the substantially flat opposed surfaces of the housing. A primary winding is disposed in the hollow disk-shaped section around the center magnetic core. The coupler has the shape of a paddle and is designed to give a vehicle operator a sense of safety when transferring electric power to the battery of an electric vehicle, for example.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1994Date of Patent: February 25, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Mark Biasotti, Russell M. Abbott, George R. Woody
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Patent number: 5606315Abstract: A microprocessor based electronic control module with an EEPROM for storing protected data allows the data to be used internally, and allows non-sensitive data to be accessed by external communication tools, but prohibits access to the protected data unless a password is first entered. Then the data may be read from memory and the data or the password may then be changed. For a given model of control module, an ID number is assigned to the password and stored in the module, and can be read to allow the user to find the corresponding password on a secure list available only to authorized personnel. When a password can not be found and it is necessary to change the protected data, the unit can be recovered by a recover procedure wherein the secure data is first erased and then the security is deactivated to grant free access.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 1994Date of Patent: February 25, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventor: Ronald E. Gaskins
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Patent number: 5603620Abstract: A U-shaped ground clip and I/O pins are attached to a connector or header of a printed circuit board. The clip has leads which extend into the circuit board for connection to a ground plane and a spring portion which is biased against a metal case to afford a ground connection. The header securely positions the clip during soldering to assure a proper final configuration and to add stiffness to the clip to insure adequate force against the case.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1995Date of Patent: February 18, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Lee R. Hinze, Eric J. Thomas
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Patent number: 5600222Abstract: An inductive battery charging system comprising a charge probe and a charge port that employs multi-turn spiral and helical windings in the charge probe to provide improved thermal management of the power produced by the charging system. The thermal management provided by the multi-turn windings of the present invention improves the power handling capacity of the system and reduces AC proximity losses. Numerous flat helical coil and spiral transformer windings are disclosed that provide for differing thermal management schemes. The present invention may be used to increase the inductive charging capacity of electric vehicle propulsion batteries to on the order of 120 KW. The present invention may be used with almost any transformer or inductor that uses foil windings.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1994Date of Patent: February 4, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventors: John T. Hall, Ray G. Radys, George R. Woody
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Patent number: 5595449Abstract: A keyboard for data entry has a rigid portion containing a pump and a flexible inflatable portion including inflatable keys. A flexible circuit has a pair of contacts for each key which are bridged by key operation and extends through both portions to carry key operation signals to a processor in the rigid portion. A release valve permits deflation to a small size for storage and the pump effects inflation to its full size for operation.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 1995Date of Patent: January 21, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventor: Lev M. Vitkin
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Patent number: 5594632Abstract: An AC/DC harmonic neutralizing power converter. The power converter includes a first rectifier, load output terminals for delivering DC power to a load, and a harmonic neutralizing converter. The first rectifier includes an input to receive AC input power and an output. The harmonic neutralizing converter comprises a power switching inverter and a second rectifier. The power switching inverter includes an input connected to the output of the first rectifier, an LC resonant circuit, and an output. The second rectifier of the harmonic neutralizing converter has an input connected to the output of the inverter and an output connected in voltage additive relationship to the output of the first rectifier. The added outputs of the rectifiers is connected to the load output terminals such that the output voltage on the load output terminals substantially equals the added output voltages of the rectifiers.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 1994Date of Patent: January 14, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventor: Alfred H. Barrett
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Patent number: 5594649Abstract: An engine knock control system that can be digitally reconfigured to operate in different knock signal processing modes. The system includes a knock detection circuit that processes an incoming knock signal produced by a vibration or pressure sensor on the engine. The circuit includes a plurality of circuit devices that are capable of being interconnected in different circuit topology configurations to thereby process the knock signal in a selected one of a plurality of different modes. The circuit includes hardware and software for forming a selected interconnection configuration of the circuit devices in response to a coded data signal input to the circuit.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1994Date of Patent: January 14, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventors: Thomas D. Cook, Manuel R. Fairchild, Kenneth D. Mowery, Jeffrey R. Scott
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Patent number: 5594315Abstract: An inductive charging coupler for use in inductive charging apparatus for charging a battery. The charging coupler is insertable into a charge port that is coupled to the battery. The charge port comprises a housing, an opening into which the charging coupler is inserted, and a secondary core surrounded by secondary windings. The charging coupler comprises a housing, a primary core, a primary winding having an even number of primary turns disposed around the core, and a hollow coolant conducting heat exchanger symmetrically disposed between the primary turns of the primary winding. The heat exchanger is typically them tally bonded to the primary turns of the primary winding by means of heat conducting adhesive or epoxy. The coolant flow passages of the heat exchanger may be configured in several ways. One approach is to construct thin, flat, self-contained flexible bladders made of metal, such as copper.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1994Date of Patent: January 14, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventors: Sergio Ramos, John T. Hall, Herbert J. Tanzer, William Quon
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Patent number: 5594317Abstract: An inductive battery charging system that uses heat conducting heat exchangers that shape electromagnetic fields produced by the windings of the charging system. The field shaping provided by the heat exchangers of the present invention improves the power handling capacity of the system. The charging system includes a charge probe that includes a primary winding of a transformer and a charge port that includes secondary windings of the transformer. The heat exchangers are heat sinks that are inserted between or are disposed adjacent turns of the windings and are used to remove heat from windings. In the present invention, the heat exchangers are also used to shape the leakage flux near the edges of the windings in such a manner that AC losses in the windings are considerably reduced. The present invention may be used to increase the inductive charging capacity of an electric vehicle battery pack to on the order of 120 KW and beyond.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1994Date of Patent: January 14, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Eddie Y. Yeow, Ray G. Radys, George R. Woody, Sergio Ramos
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Patent number: 5593040Abstract: A pallet holds one or more circuit boards for processing. A pallet opening for receiving the circuit board has grooves at one side to retain an edge of the circuit board and rotary clips at the other side to receive and hold the opposite edge of the board. Each clip is a disk which is mounted for rotation about a central axis and is constrained to two angular positions by a detent. A notch in the disk receives the circuit board when in one position and clamps the board against a seat when in the other position. The notch is deep enough to allow the board to be shifted laterally for alignment with test apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 1995Date of Patent: January 14, 1997Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventors: Gary R. Shelton, Kyle R. Street
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Patent number: 5591937Abstract: A transmission cable system that incorporates cooling channels that encircles electrical conductors with coolant. The transmission cable system also provides for breach or leak detection. More specifically, the transmission cable system maybe used with an inductive charging system that transfers electric power from a power source to batteries of an electric vehicle. The cable system includes a cooling system for storing, cooling, and pumping coolant, and a pressure sensitive switch for determining the pressure in the cooling system and for providing an output signal indicative of a drop in sensed pressure. A controller is coupled to the pressure sensitive switch that is responsive to the output signal from the switch for shutting down the inductive charging system in the event of a drop in sensed pressure. The transmission cable is electrically coupled between the power source and the electric vehicle for coupling electrical power to the batteries.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1994Date of Patent: January 7, 1997Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventors: George R. Woody, Stephen J. Hulsey
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Patent number: 5587892Abstract: A multi-phase AC to DC harmonic neutralizing power converter. The power converter includes a plurality of inputs for respective phases of a multi-phase source of AC power and a plurality of first rectifiers connected respectively to the inputs. A multi-phase harmonic neutralizing converter includes a power switching inverter having an input connected to the outputs of each of the first rectifiers, the inverter including LC resonant circuits. A plurality of second rectifiers having respective inputs connected to the output of the inverter through a plurality of respective transformers having outputs that are connected in voltage additive relationship to the outputs of the respective individual phase first rectifiers. A single set of power switches is utilized to neutralize multiple input power phases.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 1994Date of Patent: December 24, 1996Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventor: Alfred H. Barrett
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Patent number: 5583771Abstract: A pattern recognition system is utilized in a supplementary inflatable restraint (SIR) system to distinguish between deployment and non-deployment events. The pattern recognition system preferably includes dedicated hardware or a microprocessor programmed to perform a neural network simulation utilizing crash data in the form of vehicle acceleration data. Training and trial vectors are generated from the data to train and, subsequently, test the neural network.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1994Date of Patent: December 10, 1996Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: David D. Lynch, James F. Long, Rex P. Brumbach, Jr., Porfirio Garcia, Jr., Stephen J. Kiselewich, Douglas D. Turner
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Patent number: 5572720Abstract: A timer unit of a microprocessor has a hardware timer limited to the size of its register, and microcode instructions in the timer unit increment a second register when the timer register rolls over to a clear state. The contents of the two registers are concatenated to obtain an extended timer value. A delay in processing the increment of the second register can cause non-coherency of the two registers. By setting a flag when the increment occurs and detecting from the hardware register value whether rollover has occurred, it is logically decided from the flag and the rollover information whether the registers are non-coherent and if so, a correction is made in the value used from one of the registers.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 1995Date of Patent: November 5, 1996Assignee: Delco Electronics CorporationInventors: Raymond B. Reed, Sandesh Malpure, Larissa C. Chu
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Patent number: 5568036Abstract: A high voltage cable system for use with a contactless battery charging system that charge propulsion batteries of an electric vehicle, and the like. The contactless battery charging system includes a primary power converter coupled to a power source and a secondary power converter located on the electric vehicle that is coupled propulsion batteries of the electric vehicle. The primary and secondary power converters are connected by way of a coaxial power cable. An isolation transformer is coupled between the output of the primary power converter and the coaxial power cable. This transformer allows one of the two outputs of the primary power converter to be connected to ground potential. The isolation transformer improves the safety and reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI) when coupling power to the secondary power converter.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1994Date of Patent: October 22, 1996Assignee: Delco Electronics Corp.Inventors: Stephen J. Hulsey, George R. Woody, Ray G. Radys